W 



Ti ai 



GREAT AGRICULTURAL WRITERS 139 



took 50 acres of land ' of my Lord Haye ' he paid a fine of 

 ^60 and a rent of ;^40 ; but this must have been an extremely 

 choice piece of land, for arable land rented apparently at less 

 than 3^. an acre.^ The rent of a cottage was usually los. 

 a year, ' though thej^ have not so much as a yard or any backe 

 side belonging to them.' There is more evidence, if such were 

 needed, of the beneficial effect of enclosure, which was said to 

 treble the value of pasture. Good meadow land fetched a great 

 price : ' The medow Sykes is about 5 acres of grounde, and was 

 letten in the year 1628 at £6 per annum, and in 1635 at 

 £6 i^s.4d.' 



The requirements of a foreman on a farm were that he could 

 sow, mow, stack peas, go well with 4 horses, and be accustomed 

 to marketing ; and for this when hired by the year he received 

 5 marks, and perhaps half a crown as earnest money. The next 

 man got 50J,, the next 46^, 6d.y the fourth ;^^s. ' Christopher 



earson had the first year he dwelt here £^ ^s. od. wages per 

 annum and ^s. to a God's penny (earnest money) ; next year he 

 had £\ wages, and he was both a good seedsman,' before the 

 invention of drills a very valuable qualification, ' and did sow 

 all our seed both the years. When you are about to hire 

 a servant you are to call them aside and talk privately with 

 them concerning their wage, and if the servants stand in the 

 churchyard they usually call them aside and walk to the back 

 side of the church and there treat of their wage. I heard 

 a servant asked what he could do, who made this answer : 



" I can sowe, 

 I can mowe, 

 And I can stacke ; 

 And I can doe 

 My master too 

 When my master turns his backe ".' 



If we are to judge by the food provided for the thatchers, who 



^ Fanning and Account Books of Henry Best of Elmsivell, 164 1. 

 Surtees Society, xxxiii. 124. Many districts in the north of England were 

 still much behind the rest of the country. 



